Our Practitioner

Melissa Roxas is a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) by the California Acupuncture Board and a certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (Dipl.O.M.) by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).

Melissa graduated Summa Cum Laude from Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine, the top-ranked school in California and the second-ranked acupuncture and East Asian Medicine College in the United States. A Masters in Traditional Oriental Medicine (M.T.O.M.) is a four-year program with over 3,200 hours of training. Melissa’s clinical experience includes interning at Being Alive, a non-profit organization serving people living with HIV and AIDS. At Being Alive, she treated complex cases in a high volume, medical setting. At the Emperor’s College Clinic, she treated a wide variety of cases including musculoskeletal, pain, digestive, and autoimmune conditions; gynecology; and pediatrics.

Melissa’s journey to becoming an acupuncturist and herbalist started before she was born. A mere five pounds, she was born with her umbilical cord tightly wrapped around her body causing a rare condition of cord entrapment and fetal hypoxia. This resulted in serious breathing problems early in infancy. Melissa’s family took her to many Western medical doctors seeking relief for her breathing problems, but none of them were able to help her. Her family finally took her to a local herbalist who treated her with massage and herbs. After a few months of being treated, her wheezing was gone and she never had breathing problems again.

In adulthood, she was able to fully recover from shoulder surgery faster and with no pain medication because of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Her experience with improved health, her passion for learning and her love for the medicine, led to her decision to become a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of East Asian Medicine.

When Melissa’s son was born, she became interested in pediatrics. Her son got common childhood ailments like pink eye; and hand, foot, and mouth disease. He often got colds and coughs. She didn’t want to use antibiotics Western doctors would prescribe. She sought treatment for her son using acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, homeopathy, and essential oils. Melissa found these treatments to be highly effective. It helped him build his immunity and recover faster from sickness without the use of antibiotics, prescriptions, or over-the-counter drugs.

Melissa’s early memories include her grandmother—a pediatrician and herbalist at heart—preparing and applying herbal poultices to her and her sibling’s bumps and bruises. Her great-grandfather was a biologist and leading authority of medicinal plants in the Philippines. Melissa is humbled to follow the family tradition of healing and herbalism.

Melissa specializes in women’s health and pediatrics. She wants to welcome you and your family into her practice to help you achieve optimal health.